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American Morning
Democrats Debate
Aired October 10, 2003 - 09:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The Democrats fought it out last night at a debate only shown here on CNN, while the man they're trying to unseat, President Bush, came under fire. One person who probably came under more fire was another candidate, Wesley Clark, and perhaps for a good reason. Our latest numbers from the CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken of registered Democrats before that debate show Clark with 21 percent, Howard Dean at 16 percent, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman stand at 13 percent.
Back to Phoenix this morning. Jeff Greenfield is up early with us.
Hey, Jeff. Good morning to you. Nice to you have with us back here. I know it was a late night last night.
The bullseye was on Wesley Clark. Did they score points, or not?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Well it was clear, as you said, and we said yesterday, that General Clark, was not going to get the pass he got a few weeks ago. And he did indeed come under fire from several of his rivals, specifically for inconsistencies in praising the Bush administration in May 2001, and apparently praising the war in April 2003.
I'm going to show you a couple clips from this debate to give you a small flavor of it. The first is, as we said, where Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman goes after General Clark on inconsistency, and General Clark responds a bit testily.
Here it is:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A few days before the vote in Congress, he said he recommended and would have supported the resolution. After the war, he wrote a piece in "The Times of London," praising President Bush and Tony Blair for their resolve. When he became a candidate, he said he probably would have voted for the resolution. There was an uproar, and then he said, I never would have voted for the resolution.
The American people have lost confidence in George Bush because he hasn't leveled with them. We need a candidate who will meet the test of reaching a conclusion and having the courage to stick with it.
WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to attack a fellow Democrat, because I think everybody on this stage shares the same goal. I think it's a little -- I think it's really embarrassing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: That was one exchange, and that theme did go on.
Another, again, fairly predictable exchange came between Representative Gephardt, Dick Gephardt, one of the former leaders of the Democrats in the Congress, and former Vermont governor, Howard Dean, who has moved close to or atop of the polls, certainly in New Hampshire and in Iowa. You'll hear Dick Gephardt question Governor Dean's Democratic bona fides, and watch how dean turns it, again, to the war that he opposed and Dick Gephardt voted for.
Here's a taste:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D-MO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He was in agreement and I'm not criticizing him for it, that was his belief -- he was in agreement with the Republican stand to have a deep, devastating cut in Medicare.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First they said I was George McGovern, and I couldn't win, and now they're saying I'm Newt Gingrich and couldn't win. Why do you think I am where I am where, having come from no place at the end of January? Because I've gone out and given 50 percent of Americans who have given up on voting in this country a reason to vote again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: That's a very big part of Governor Dean's argument, that he can reach people the way Arnold Schwarzenegger did in California, who have given up on the process. You'll hear a lot more of that.
Finally, a clip from Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, where he took the occasion to turn a conversation about health care into a pretty sharp jab at one of the people least admired by Democrats, and who in turn admires Democrats as little as almost anybody in the country.
Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: There are two ways for you to have lower prescription drug costs -- one is you can hire Rush Limbaugh's housekeeper.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: Or you could elect me president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Now, that's going to be an interesting question, about whether that comment is regarded as a sharp, pointed amusing observation at a conservative icon, or whether that's going to be seen as a little bit over the top for a guy who wants to be president, referring to Rush Limbaugh's very well-known dilemma, the charges he perhaps abused prescription drugs. I want to see how that plays out in the days ahead -- Bill.
HEMMER: Yes, and we all do.
Thank you, Jeff. Jeff Greenfield in Phoenix, along with Candy Crowley and Judy Woodruff last night. Excellent job.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 10, 2003 - 09:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The Democrats fought it out last night at a debate only shown here on CNN, while the man they're trying to unseat, President Bush, came under fire. One person who probably came under more fire was another candidate, Wesley Clark, and perhaps for a good reason. Our latest numbers from the CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll taken of registered Democrats before that debate show Clark with 21 percent, Howard Dean at 16 percent, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman stand at 13 percent.
Back to Phoenix this morning. Jeff Greenfield is up early with us.
Hey, Jeff. Good morning to you. Nice to you have with us back here. I know it was a late night last night.
The bullseye was on Wesley Clark. Did they score points, or not?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Well it was clear, as you said, and we said yesterday, that General Clark, was not going to get the pass he got a few weeks ago. And he did indeed come under fire from several of his rivals, specifically for inconsistencies in praising the Bush administration in May 2001, and apparently praising the war in April 2003.
I'm going to show you a couple clips from this debate to give you a small flavor of it. The first is, as we said, where Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman goes after General Clark on inconsistency, and General Clark responds a bit testily.
Here it is:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A few days before the vote in Congress, he said he recommended and would have supported the resolution. After the war, he wrote a piece in "The Times of London," praising President Bush and Tony Blair for their resolve. When he became a candidate, he said he probably would have voted for the resolution. There was an uproar, and then he said, I never would have voted for the resolution.
The American people have lost confidence in George Bush because he hasn't leveled with them. We need a candidate who will meet the test of reaching a conclusion and having the courage to stick with it.
WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to attack a fellow Democrat, because I think everybody on this stage shares the same goal. I think it's a little -- I think it's really embarrassing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: That was one exchange, and that theme did go on.
Another, again, fairly predictable exchange came between Representative Gephardt, Dick Gephardt, one of the former leaders of the Democrats in the Congress, and former Vermont governor, Howard Dean, who has moved close to or atop of the polls, certainly in New Hampshire and in Iowa. You'll hear Dick Gephardt question Governor Dean's Democratic bona fides, and watch how dean turns it, again, to the war that he opposed and Dick Gephardt voted for.
Here's a taste:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D-MO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He was in agreement and I'm not criticizing him for it, that was his belief -- he was in agreement with the Republican stand to have a deep, devastating cut in Medicare.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First they said I was George McGovern, and I couldn't win, and now they're saying I'm Newt Gingrich and couldn't win. Why do you think I am where I am where, having come from no place at the end of January? Because I've gone out and given 50 percent of Americans who have given up on voting in this country a reason to vote again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: That's a very big part of Governor Dean's argument, that he can reach people the way Arnold Schwarzenegger did in California, who have given up on the process. You'll hear a lot more of that.
Finally, a clip from Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, where he took the occasion to turn a conversation about health care into a pretty sharp jab at one of the people least admired by Democrats, and who in turn admires Democrats as little as almost anybody in the country.
Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: There are two ways for you to have lower prescription drug costs -- one is you can hire Rush Limbaugh's housekeeper.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
KERRY: Or you could elect me president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Now, that's going to be an interesting question, about whether that comment is regarded as a sharp, pointed amusing observation at a conservative icon, or whether that's going to be seen as a little bit over the top for a guy who wants to be president, referring to Rush Limbaugh's very well-known dilemma, the charges he perhaps abused prescription drugs. I want to see how that plays out in the days ahead -- Bill.
HEMMER: Yes, and we all do.
Thank you, Jeff. Jeff Greenfield in Phoenix, along with Candy Crowley and Judy Woodruff last night. Excellent job.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
